CLIENT

Evergreen Cemetery Association of New Haven ​

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LOCATION

New Haven, CT

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SIZE

1,500 NSF

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PROGRAM

Reception area, additional retorts, mortuary cooler, administrative offices, upgrades to existing facility 

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Dennis M. Carbo

Evergreen Cemetery, founded in 1848 as a non-sectarian, non-profit burial ground, is located on 85 park-like acres in the West River neighborhood of New Haven. In 2001, the managers of the property, Evergreen Cemetery Association of New Haven, commissioned JSA to design a 1,500 SF addition to the on-site chapel and crematorium building that was originally constructed in 1956.

 

The project’s programmatic criteria were to enlarge the facility to accommodate families gathering to pay their final respects to loved ones, expand the capacity of the crematorium by adding two additional retorts, incorporate a large capacity mortuary cooler, enhance working spaces for the staff of the facility, and incorporate upgrades to the current facility in compliance with state regulations.

 

The new addition utilizes the same exterior building materials as the original facility, specifically Indiana limestone masonry for the walls and natural slate for the gable roof. Exterior elements also include bronze windows, copper gutters, and solid oak hardwood doors. A new porte cochere, featuring limestone pillars, a Douglas fir pergola, and a standing seam metal roof, extends over the driveway in front of the main entrance to provide visitors with protection from the weather. As intended, the new addition blends seamlessly with the design of the original limestone and slate structure, is appropriate for its purpose, and harmonizes beautifully with the surrounding gardens and pastoral landscape of the property.